The session continued on for another hour and, as promised, I showed them how to do a few kicks and spins that really looked more impressive than they actually were, but that pleased the four of them no end. When we wrapped up, and started to head back for dinner, I pulled Brock aside, then let the others go off ahead.

‘What is it?” He asked anxiously. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, goodness, nothing wrong,” I reassured him. “But you’ve got to sort this thing out with Deborah.”

His gaze flickered down to the ground and he looked downright miserable. “She’s not interested in me, Mack. She’s only got eyes for Mage Thomas.” He spat out Thomas’ name as if it was a curse.

“But she doesn’t know that you like her in that way,” I said gently. “If you tell her, then she might see you in a new light.”

“Or she might never talk to me again.”

“Well then, she’s the idiot, not you. You can’t regret not doing something, Brock. You should only regret the stuff that you do actually do. At least then you’re in control. Believe me, you’ll feel better about yourself.”

He sighed. “But what would I do? What would I say?”

“Well, what is she interested in?”

“Mage Thomas,” he said huffily. When I gave him a stern look, he relented. “Fashion, make-up, that kind of thing, I guess. Which makes her sound like a bimbo, but she’s not, Mack, she’s really not. She’s sweet and funny, and always thinks of others. She’d never hurt anyone, not intentionally. And she’s really clever. When she’s thinking really hard, her nose wrinkles and when she’s happy, really happy, she lifts up just one corner of her mouth in a kind of half smile.”

I reached out and squeezed his shoulder. Yeah, he had it bad. “So is there anything at all you could do to get her attention?”

“I don’t know. I thought about getting her some flowers or something once. She’s got hayfever though.”

“You don’t have to buy her something. Usually it’s not what you buy a girl that she’ll like about you, it’s what you do instead. Something really thoughtful that’ll make her see you for what you are.”

“You’re right. But it’s coming up with that thoughtful thing that’s the difficult part.” He ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

We walked back. My efforts at matchmaking were about as successful as my own love life currently was, I thought ruefully. Cupid certainly didn’t have anything to be afraid of from me.

*

Throughout the rest of the week, everything continued on as if Saturday night hadn’t ever taken place. I felt like I’d somehow been dropped into a world of safe mundanity. Other than the fact that I was at an academy of magic of course, that is.

My Kinesis lesson went as usual. I entered the room, sat myself down on the edge of Slocombe’s little chalk circle and watched the same pebble again for hours whilst the mage stood as far away from me as he could possibly get without hiking up his black robes, and running away. I was aware of him flicking nervy glances towards me, perhaps in case I got upset and decided to pick up the little stone and fling it at him, but I resolutely remained in place, trying to focus. I’d done a little reading in a spare hour I’d had to kill at the library about how to begin with Kinesis and be successful. It didn’t help. No matter what I did or how I concentrated, the rock stayed determinedly in the same spot.

Evocation was much the same, although I hung back at the end feeling confident enough to brave a touchy subject with the teacher without losing my cool.

“So,” I started, as he was gathering up his things.

The mage shot me a terrified look. “Yes?”

“Do you know Mary? She’s a Level Four Initiate.”

He nodded and made to leave. However I took a leaf out of the Dean’s book himself and blocked the doorway. “She told me a couple of weeks ago that she was summoning a dryad.”

The mage smiled proudly, despite his obvious unease that I was trying to engage him in conversation. “Yes, she’s very talented.” He eyed me up and down. “I don’t think you’re ready for that level of summoning just yet.

I almost snorted, but managed to somehow keep it inside, choking slightly instead. I couldn’t summon a flea, I was hardly going to be able to manage it with something life-size. Besides, that wasn’t what I was after. “From what I know of dryads,” I said cautiously, “they don’t like it very much when they are far away from their own habitats. You know, their trees. In fact they find it quite painful to be away from them. Or so I’ve heard anyway.”

From the horse’s mouth, in fact. I’d had a long conversation with one that I’d come across in the woods in Cornwall on that very subject. She’d been very skittish and at first unwilling to talk, but I’d been equally determined to find out more about her and her people. It had become a bit of a personal challenge after John had given me an incredibly embarrassing dressing down in front of the entire pack when I’d been about thirteen and had mistakenly chosen a dryad’s tree to use for target practice. With enough persistence she’d given in and we’d ended up becoming friends of sorts. Well, no, that was a lie actually. She stopped running away screaming every time I approached her is what I really meant.

The mage blinked at me owlishly. “They’re only summoned for a very short period, Initiate Smith. They’re not in any distress.”

Actually I was pretty sure they probably were. When I said this to him, he muttered some comment about the ‘hippy arguments of tree-hugging humans’ and pushed past me. I let him go, although I wasn’t ready to drop the matter just yet. I figured that I could speak to him about it again the following week. And the week after. And the week after that. After all, that was how I’d gotten to know what dryads thought in the first place, so it was bound to work sooner later on a mage. Even if he displayed the same kind of nervous gazelle like tendencies as the dryad had. Sooner or later I’d break him down and get him on side.

Perhaps the most shocking event of the week however, was my Illusion lesson. I’d set off from the cafeteria after lunch, allowing for just enough time to get there. And then somehow, despite being sure that I could confidently find my entire way round the whole campus, I got lost. Again. It felt like I kept somehow missing the building. I’d walk past Divination and Evocation, and the groundskeepers’ little shed. There was the gap in the wall, which the wind blew through and could virtually yank you off your feet if you weren’t paying attention. And then I’d end up at the end of the buildings beside Protection, without ever seeing the Illusion block at all.

Knowing what was happening, that the mage who was my teacher was just playing with me or testing me or something again, didn’t particularly help matters. It was a particularly drizzly and cold day, and the raindrops kept landing on the back of my neck and dripping down uncomfortably against the skin of my back, whilst the tips of my fingers were starting to go ever so slightly numb. The idea of her sitting comfortably in the warm classroom sent shivers of irritated bloodfire heat through me. But, remembering my training, I counted to ten as slowly as I could, and pushed the flames back down again. Then, when I turned around to head back for another circle to see if I could find the door, I saw it. It was just a glimmer, an odd little hint along the edge of the cobbles that something wasn’t quite right and didn’t quite fit. I walked over and stood in front of it, then reached out with just my pinky and gently poked it. All at once, the glimmer enlarged in front of my eyes, bulging and elongating like those old magic mirrors you used to find at funfairs. After blinking a few times, I even found the door and managed to make my way upstairs without missing too much of the lesson time.

Gratifyingly, my Illusion teacher didn’t gratingly cackle this time when I found my way up to her. Instead she cracked into a smile and patted me on the shoulder. Even better, when I was finishing up dinner that evening, listening to the teens chatter about their day, Thomas wandered over, black robes swishing behind him. Deborah let out a small whimper of excitement when she caught sight of him. Out of the corner of my eye, I noted Brock’s shoulders slump ever so slightly. Fuck.

“So, Initiate Smith,” Thomas said, drawing out the syllables, “I hear you finally had some success today.”

The others turned to me, their eyes widening.

I shrugged. “Some,” I acknowledged, unable quite to keep the grin off my face.

“Well done.”

I could tell that Thomas meant it genuinely and my smile broadened.

“You should join me tonight for a drink, at the local pub in an hour or two. It’s very close to the academy.” His eyes flicked over the rest of my table. “I’m sure a few of your friends here will be able to tell you how to get there.”

I swear that every single one of their faces flushed red in unison at that point. Trying to give them some measure of dignity, I avoided looking at them and stayed fixed on Thomas. “I’d love to,” I said, simply.

He inclined his head, and then strode back off again.

“You’re so lucky,” breathed Deborah, quivering.

“Why?” snapped Brock. “Who wants to hang out with a teacher?”

She sent him a dark look then turned her attention back to me. “If I could just find my yellow skirt then I’d come and join you. Rules be damned.”

“Well, it’s not so much ‘rules’,” I replied to her, “as the law. You’re under age.”

“Pah! Rules schmules.”

“Have you still not found that piece of fabric yet, Deborah?” asked Aqmar.

Her mouth twisted. “No. And I’ve looked bloody everywhere.”

Oops. I really had meant to have sorted that out by now and returned it to the laundry room.

Aqmar snickered. “That’s probably because it’s so small, you’d need a magnifying glass to find it anyway.”